Muhammad Zeeshan (b. 1980, Mirpurkhan, Pakistan) received his BFA in Miniature Painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore, in 2003. Zeeshan lives and works in Lahore and is currently an Adjunct Faculty at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi, Pakistan. Zeeshan's artistic direction is heavily influenced by the medium in which he works; however, the motifs he explores are closely tied to the cultural heritage of Pakistan, investigating issues of culture and conflict, asking the viewer to reconsider social norms and the lens through which we perceive others.
Solo exhibitions include Salon, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, FL (2025); deMONSTERate, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2024); Grass Don’t Grow on My Land, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2022); Nangeli, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2021); Money Provides, Culture Aspires, Sanat Initiative, Karachi, Pakistan (2020); No Fight, Be a Donkey, O Art Space, Lahore, Pakistan (2019); Serving with White Gloves, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2019); Refreshment, Sanat Initiative, Karachi, Pakistan (2017); Contemporary Istanbul, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (2017); Funkier Than A Mosquito's Twitter, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (2015); Safar Nama, Canvas Art Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan (2014); Special Siri Series, Aicon Gallery, New York, USA (2011); Recent Works of Dying Miniature, Canvas Art Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan (2010)
Group exhibitions include Beyond the Page: South Asian Miniatures and Britain 1600–Today, Milton Keynes Gallery, England, UK, touring to The Box Plymouth (2023–2024); Conversations, O Art Space, Pakistan (2024); Nyx, Sanat Initiative, Karachi, Pakistan (2023); The Emperor’s New Clothes, Numaish Gha, Lahore, Pakistan (2023); The Figure of Sound, Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, India (2023); Creation of Eve, Artvoice (online, 2023); Figure 23, curated by Sana Arjumand, Gallery 6, Islamabad, Pakistan (2023); Facing the Sun, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Schloss Görne, Germany (2021); Drawing Room Lisboa, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin & London, Germany & UK (2021); Pretty Art For Pretty People, Sanat Initiative, Karachi, Pakistan (2020); All the Days and Nights, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2020); Present Re-Inventions, Grosvenor Gallery, London, UK (2014)
Highlights and Collections
Muhammad Zeeshan's work Mubarak, commissioned by The Citizens Archive of Pakistan, is currently on display at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Canada. Muhammad Zeeshan has been the recipient of various awards, among them the 2021 Sadequain: Pride of Performance Award; the 2017 Nigaah Curatorial Award, Pakistan; the 2008 ACC Weimar Galerie Scholarship, Germany; and the 2007 Charles Wallace-Rangoon Wala Trust Award. Zeeshan has also been granted residencies, most recently completing a residency with Dastaangoi & Bayt AlMamzar in 2024. Previously, he was awarded the 2016 Kalakriti Artist Residency in Hyderabad, India, and the 2015 Lares Project, Finland. Zeeshan’s work can be found in private and public collections worldwide, including Hundal Collection, Chicago, USA; British Museum, London, UK; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan; USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California, USA; Devi Art Foundation, India; Walton Family Collection, USA; The Bunker Art Space, USA; Easton Capital Collection, USA. Zeeshan is also recognized for his curatorial projects, including ArtFest Karachi in 2024 and the Karachi Biennale in 2019.